Relay adjusting apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A relay adjusting fixture is provided to set a consistent air gap between the heel piece and armature of a relay and also to set the residual gap between the core and armature of the relay without relying on operator judgement or the skill of an operator and an inspector. The relay is positioned within the adjusting apparatus, next all variances and tolerances in relay components are removed by novel zeroing means, a cam arrangement automatically sets the air gap to a predetermined point, and then precision adjusting means are utilized to set the residual gap.

[ 5] Nov. 26, 1974 United States Patent McClurg et al.

Poulton, Jr. et al.

[ RELAY ADJUSTING APPARATUS AND METHOD Inventors: Dale C. McClurg, Schaumburg; I

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' UNITED STATES PATENTS '1 2/1959 2,916,580 335/273 x 5 Claims 6 Drawing Figures RELAY ADJUSTING APPARATUS AND METHOD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to relay adjusting apparatus and methods and more particularly to a new and improved method of setting a consistent air gap and residual gap without relying on operatorjudgement or skill of the operator and inspector.

2. Description of the Prior Art Due to component and assembly tolerances, relay adjustment is necessary to set a consistent air line and residual gap to provide a proper operation of the relay. The air line is the clearance between the heel piece of the relay and the armature. This clearance is necessary to provide smooth unrestricted action of the armature during operation. The airline tolerance is also important in determining the optimun position of the armature for best flux flow. The residual gap setting positions the armature with respect to the core of the relay so that operation of the relay coincides dimensionly with a reluctance curve on which upper and lower limits have been chosen in designing the relay. Accurate setting of the residual gap is necessary due to the rapid change of reluctance over small increments such as thousands of an inch.

Relays have commonly been adjusted by an operator by means of visually estimating the air line and utilizing a small tapping hammer to bump. the armature away from the heel piece. The residual gap is normally set visually to the approximate setting before the air line is set and then the residual is normally reset using feeler gages when voltage is applied to the coil. After the residual is set and locked in, the air line setting would then be checked with feeler gages to verify tolerance only if the air line appeared incorrect according to the visual skills of the operator. Throughout these operations the operator loosens and tightens the residual screw. A yoke carries the armature and is connected to the heel piece.

The skills of the operator are entirely determinant of the consistency and reliability of the operation of the relay. Where precise adjustments are necessary, such a procedure can be seen to lack reliability from a manufacturing and inspection standpoint to provide proper operation of a manufacturing batch of relays.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly it is a principle object of the present invention to provide a relay adjusting apparatus and method to set a consistent air gap between the heel piece and armature of a relay and also to set a consistent residual gap between the core and armature of the relay without relying on operator judgement and the skill of an operator and inspector.

Another object is a relay adjusting apparatus and method that compensates automatically for any variations in yoke tolerances or other components.

Another object is a relay adjusting apparatus and method that provides an automatic air line setting by means of a novel cam arrangement.

Another object is a relay adjusting apparatus and method that provides precision adjusting means to accurately set a residual gap.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the ensuing specification, drawings and claims..

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the relay adjusting apparatus utilized to practice the method of the present DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The relay adjusting apparatus of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through'S includes supporting means referred to generally as 10 that hold and support the relay 12 to be adjusted and also carry the adjusting mechanisms that are utilized to adjust the residual gap and air line or gap of the relay 12. The relay support means 10 includes a base 14 which carries a central support body 16 which is adapted to receive and hold the relay 12 as will be explained in detail hereinafter. A handle assembly 18 pivotally mounted by pin 20 to the central support body 10 rotates from a rearward or open position and a forward or closed position as shown in FIG. 4. In the rearward or open position, the relay 12 to be adjusted may be inserted into the fixture or removed. In the forward or closed position the relay is held firmly between the central support body 16 and a front support assembly 22 which is pivotally mounted to support body 16 at pin 24. The front support assembly 22 is also pivotally carried by the handle assembly 18 by means of pin 26 and arm 28 best seen in FIG. 1 so that the front assembly rotates around pin 24 as the handle assembly 18 is moved from front to rear or rear to front positions. The handle assembly 18 includes a handle portion 30 attached to an arm 32. Arm 32 is connected to the central support body 16 by the pin 20 which extends through body 16 from the left to right sides of the apparatus. The handle arm 32 is also connected to a short left arm piece 34 by hollow shaft 36 with fixed pins 38. The two handle arms 32 and 34 are also connected by hollow shaft 40 and the pivot pins 26. A return spring 42 is connected between handle arm 32 and central support body 16 to aid in returning the handle assembly 18 to the rearward or open position.

The central support body 16 on its front surface as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 is provided with protruding rods 44 and tabs 46 to retain the relay 12 in the relay adjusting apparatus. Rods 44 have pins that extend into holes in the relay body which are not shown to provide firm retention of the relay l2. Pins 48 contact each edge of the heel surface 50 of the relay and along with a pin, not shown, extending into a hole of the upper heel piece surface provide additional support to retain the relay 12 under test. The relay is inserted into the test apparatus with the handle assembly 18 in its rearward position opening the front surfaces of the apparatus so that the relay may be inserted. As the handle assembly 18 is rotated to its frontward position, approximately vertical, the front support assembly 22 also rotates about pin 24 and encloses the relay as tapered surface 51 of support body 22 contacts the relay washer 52. The tapered surface 51 adjusts to the contours of the relay washer 52 with coil spring 54 and thumb screw 56 mounting the front piece 58 having tapered surface 51 to the front support assembly 22. With the handle assembly 18 in its forward position, the relay 12 is held securely between the central support body 16 and the front support assembly 22. To further retain the armature 60 of the relay 12, rear tension pins 62 and a central tension pin 64 are front support assembly 22 with tension supplied by spring tabs 66 and 68 respectively which are also mounted in the from support assembly 22.

With the relay 12 now firmly supported and retained by the adjustment fixture, lift fingers 70 slidably carried 7 by channels in the central support body 16 engage the lower trailing edges 72 of the yoke of relay l2. Lift fingers 70 are utilized in setting the air line or gap between the armature 60 and the heel piece 50 of the relay 12. The bottom, edge 74 of each lift finger 70 contacts the leading tapered edge 76 of a compensating bar or lever 78 that is pivotally mounted at'its front end to lever 86 by pin 80. The rear ends of compensating levers 78 are provided with an opening 82 through which shaft 84 is positioned. Lift bars or levers 86 positioned substantially parallel to the compensating bars 78 are pivotally carried in central support body 16 by pins 88 at their front end and are carried by cam shaft 108 at their rearward ends. Collar 92 on the right hand side of shaft 84 retains the compensating bar 78 and lift bar 86 along with a sleeve portion that is positioned around shaft 84 between the two lift bars 86. On the left hand side of shaft 84 an air cylinder assembly 96 is mounted around I the shaft with air cylinder portion 98 and rod portion 100 to lock the compensating bars 78 and the lift bars 86 when the air cylinder assembly 96 is actuated as will be explained in detail hereinafter. Compensating bars 78 are biased downward by spring pins 102 which are carried by the central support body 16. Similarly the lift bars 86 are biased downwardly by spring pins 104 having an external coil spring 106 which are also mounted in the central support body 16. The lift bars 86 are biased downwardly and are in engagement with the cam surfaces 108 of a cam shaft 110. Cam shaft 110 is mounted parallel to the' upper shaft 84 and is rotatably carried by the central support body 16 and retained by left hand elongated collar member 112 and a right hand collar 114. The cam is rotated by the actuation of air cylinder 116 and piston rod 118 which is attached to the left hand elongated collar 112. As the cam shaft 110 is rotated, cam surfaces 108 cause movement of the compensating bars 78 and lift bars 86 with resultant rotation about pivot points 80 and 88. It should be noted that while air cylinder 96 and 116 are described, other hydraulic or pneumatic means may also be utilized.

The air cylinder 116 is mounted to the base 14 of the apparatus by a bracket 120 and a return spring 122 is also provided between the bracket 120 and an eye 124 attached to the shaft portion of piston 118 to facilitate the actuation of the air cylinder 116. Air cylinders 96 and 116 are actuated by control valve means 126 through inlet line 128 which is connected to an external supply of pressurized air or other pneumatic means which is not shown. Control valve 126 is provided with provided that are carried by the two outlet ports which supply output lines 130 connected to rod end of air cylinder 96 with a second line 132 supplying the blind or cylinder portion 98 of air cylinder 96 and also the air cylinder 116. The control valve 126 is operated by actuator level 134 which displaces actuator stem 136 when the lever 134 is depressed, thereby operating the valve. The control valve 126 also includes two exhaust ports not shown which exhaust the lines to the atmosphere when the valve is deactuated. Air cylinder 116 includes a sequence valve assembly 138 located in the air line 132 which may be a needle valve which operates to restrict operation of the air cylinder 116 until a higher pressure is obtained than is required to operate theair cylinder assembly 96. It is necessary for air cylinder 116 to be operated sequentially after the operation of'air cylinder assembly 96 so that the compensating levers and lift levers are locked and moved together when the cam shaft is rotated by operation of air cylinder 116.

Residual adjusting means 140 are carried by the front support assembly 22 to perform the residual setting between the core 142 of the relay and the armature 60 as will be explained in detail hereinafterv The residual adjusting means 140 includes a bracket 144 which is slotted to fit around a pin 146 protruding from thefront support assembly 22 to retain the adjusting means. Sup-' port bracket 144 is U-shaped and has a hole in its upper surface which carries a central screw driver shaft 148 which extends downwardly through the adjusting means 140 into a residual nut runner shaft l50.-The shaft 150 is provided with a hex socket end 152 adapted to fit the residual locking nut 154 of the relay 12. Nut runner drive wheel 156 is provided with a clutch disc 157 to allow proper torquing of the residual locking nut 154 during adjustment. Shaft 148 includes a screwdriver blade portion at its lower end terminating within the'nut runner shaft 150 which is adapted to fit the residual screw 158. Driver wheel 160 is mounted on the shaft 148 to provide a rough adjustment mechanism 1 for the residual screw 158. A worm drive isprovided with worm wheel 1 62 mountedon shaft 148 and a worm gear screw 164 mounted on a shaft l66.posi-' tioned perpendicular to shaft 148 and carried by bracket 168. Bracket 168 is rotatably attachedto the upper surface of U-shaped bracket-144 with a coil spring 170 providing return tension that is connected between the brackets 144 and 168. Aprecision adjuster wheel 172 with attached hand crank 174 is mounted on the shaft 166 to operate the worm drive and thereby the screwdriver blade portion on shaft 148. In the return position, the worm drive is free to operate upon rotation of the precision adjuster wheel 172 but inhibits operation of the coarse adjustment wheel 1-60. A release, tab 176 extending from bracket 168 is provided to cause rotation of bracket 168 so as to move the worm gear screw 164 away from wormwheel 162 to allow operation of the coarse screwdriver wheel 160. A motion transfer pin 178 is carried by the front support assembly 22 that engages the armature 60 of the relay when the apparatus is in the closed,position with the handle assembly 18 forward. Transfer pin 178 is connected to the shaft portion 180 of an indicator arm 182 so as to transmit vertical motion of the transfer pin to the indicator arm 182. The indicator arm 182 includes a coil return spring 184 mounted about the shaft 180 to bias the indicator arm against its upward stop. A passageway in the central support body 16 is provided so that an ordinary torque screwdriver tool may be inserted through the support body to adjust the yoke screw 186 which retains the yoke of the relay to the heel piece 50.

In operation, the relay to be properly adjusted is inserted into the fixture with the handle assembly 18 in its rearward position with the front support assembly 22 rotated in a clockwise fashion away from the central support body 16. After insertion of the relay with the relay being supported by pins 44, tabs 46 and pins 48, the handle assembly 18 is rotated counter clockwise to its forward or closed position with the front support body assembly 22 also being rotated to its downward nearly horizontal position with front support piece 58 engaging the relay washer 52 and the spring pins 62 and 64 applying downward pressure on the armature 60. The lift arms 70 are also in engagement with the yoke surfaces 72 of the relay. The residual gap of the relay under test is then removed by loosening the residual locking nut 154 by means of the nut runner wheel 156, turning the screwdriver wheel 160 counter clockwise until the indicator arm 182 ceases to move while depressing release tab 176. When indicator arm 182 ceases to move this signifies by means of the transfer pin 178 that all residual gap between the core and armature of the relay has been removed which establishes a starting point for setting the residual gap. After removing the residual gap, the yoke screw 186 is loosened and the spring pressure of pins 62 and 64 force the armature 60 downward securely against the coil core 142 and the heel piece 50. The vertical lift fingers 70 then move vertically downward in response to the downward movement of the yoke which causes rotation of the compensating bars or levers 78 about pivot point 80. This downward movement of the lift fingers and rotation of the compensating levers compensates automatically for any variations due to tolerance in the yoke or other components of the relay. The right and left compensating bars 78 may then be at different positrons.

At this point the control valve 126 is operated by means of the actuator lever 134 which first operates the air cylinder assembly 96 to lock the compensating levers 78 and the lifting levers 86 securely, effectively causing the compensating and lifting levers to now move as one. Secondly after operation of the control valve 126, the air cylinder 116 now operates sequentially after the air cylinder assembly 96 due to the restricter valve 138 rotating the cam shaft 110 so that the irregular cam surfaces 108 cause lifting by engagement of the lift bars 86 with the bars rotating about their pivot point 88. Since the compensating bars 78 are locked securely to the lifting bars 86, the rotation of the cam shaft lifting the lifting bars 86 also causes movement of the compensating arms 78 and thereby the lift fingers 70. The cam surfaces 108 are designed to raise the lift fingers 70 by any amount necessary to give the required air gap between the heel piece and armature. The degree of rotation of the cam shaft 110 may be limited by stops such as 188 and stop surfaces 190 and 192 mounted upon the retaining collar 112 on shaft 84. The air gap between the heel piece 50 and the armature 60 has now been set or put in and the yoke screw 186 is tightened by means ofa torque screwdriver to the desired specifications. After the yoke screw is tightened, the control valve 126 may then be deactuated, with the air lineremaining set to the desired specification since the tightened yoke screw maintains the desired point.

The residual gap is now again checked to make sure all the residual gap has been taken out or removed by depressing the release tab 176 and rotating the screwdriver wheel counter clockwise until the indicator arm 182 ceases to move. The screwdriver wheel 160 is then turned clockwise until the point where movement of indicator arm 182 just begins which visually is noted by the operator. The tab 176 is then released to allow engagement of the worm wheel 162 and worm screw- 164. The residual gap is now adjusted by rotation of the precision adjuster wheel 172 by rotation of crank 174, The worm wheel 162 and worm screw 164 are selected to have a ratio such that one complete turn of adjusted wheel 172 accomplishes a convenient gap increment such as .001 of an inch. The residual gap is then cranked in or set the proper number of turns to yield the desired gap such as 6 turns for .006 of an inch or 8 turns for .008 of an inch residual gap. After setting the residual gap by means of turning the residual screw 158, the residual locking nut is tightened by turning the nut runner wheel 156 until the clutch begins to slip noting that the locking nut has been tightened to the desired torque specifications. The relay 12 may now be removed from the fixture by rotating the handle assembly to the unclamped or rearward position and a new relay to be adjusted then being inserted.

The relay adjusting fixture of the present invention establishes reference points by loosening the residual screw and nut and the yoke screw to cause all contacting parts to rest in intimate contact. The predetermined correct air line gap necessary to provide smooth unrestricted action of the armature when operating is then set by novel cam and lever arrangements and the yoke screw is then tightened to maintain this desired air line gap. A worm drive is then utilized to set the proper residual gap by proper rotation of a crank and the use of an indicatorarm. The adjusting fixture also provides for compensation due to irregular and rough stamped parts as well as various tolerances of the relay components by locking'a reference point into the fixture with all clearances removed.

Whereas the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it should be realized that there may be many modifications, substitutions, and alterations thereto without departing from the teachings of this invention.

Having described what is new and novel and desired to secure by Letters Patent, what is claimed is: I

1. A relay adjusting apparatus for setting a consistent air gap between the heel piece and armature of a relay and for setting a consistent residual gap between the core and armature of a relay, said relay including a yoke piece carried by the heel piece that supports the armature, said yoke piece further including a yoke screw, said armature including a residual screw to adjust the residual gap, said relay adjusting apparatus comprising:

relay support means for retaining and clamping said relay to be adjusted; relay compensating means contacting said relay and carried by said support means for establishing a reference point of said relay components with all clearances removed, said reference point being independent of all tolerances and irregularities of said parts;

gear and wheel means for engaging said residual screw cam actuated means carried by said support means and engaging said relay compensating means for adjusting said air gap to a predetermined design setting relative to said established reference point; and

residual adjusting means carried by said support means for adjusting said residual gap.

2; The relay adjusting apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said relay compensating means for establishing a reference point includes lift finger means for contacting said relay yoke, said lift finger contacting means being carried slidably by said support means, said relay compensating means further including compensating lever means for engaging said lift finger means, said compensating lever means pivotally mounted to said support means at the point of contact with said lift finger means, said lift finger means moving vertically against said yoke as said compensating lever means are rotated about the pivot point.

3. The relay adjusting apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said cam actuating means includes a cam shaft rotatably mounted in said relay support means and lifting lever means pivotallymounted to said relay support means and engaging said cam shaft for lifting said compensating lever means, said lifting lever means being adapted to lock against said compensating lever means so as to lift said compensating lever means when said cam shaft lifts said lift lever means.

4. The relay adjusting apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said residual adjusting means includes worm said worm means including a worm gear, a work wheel,

an adjusting wheel attached to the shaft of said work gear, and a screwdriver blade shaft carried by said worm wheel being effective to adjust said residual I screw, said worm gear and wheel means being calibrated such that one turn of said adjusting wheel adjusts the residual gap of said relay by a predetermined convenient increment of distance.

5. The method of adjusting a relay having an air gap between a heel piece and armature and having aresidual gap between the core and the armature, said relay also including a yoke piece carried by the heel piece and supporting the armature, said yoke piece including a yoke screw, said armature including a residual screw to adjust the residual gap, the adjustment method comprising the steps of:

inserting said relay into a supporting structure which retains said relay;

applying forces to the loosened yoke and armature with the residual gap removed so as to eliminate all tolerances and component variations and also establish a reference point;

setting the air gap by applying a force to said relay yoke, said applied force being effective to move the armature away from the heel piece a predetermined distance relative to said reference point whereupon the yoke screw is tightened to retain said air gap setting; and

setting the residual air gap by establishing a zeroresidual gap and introducing the desired residual air gap setting by operation of calibrated adjusting means.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 13,851,286 DATED November 26, 1974 INVENTOR( I DALE C. MC CLURG and STANLEY J. NOCEK It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 7, line 32, "work" should be worm;

Column 8,- ,line 1, "work" should be worm.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of May 1975.

(SEAL) I Attest:

C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer and Trademarks UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE F PATENT NO. :3,851,286 DATED November 26, 1974 INVENTOR(S) I DALE C. MC CLURG and STANLEY J. NOCEK It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 7, line 32, "work" should be worm;

Column 8, 1ine 1, "work" should be worm.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of May 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer and Trademarks 

1. A relay adjusting apparatus for setting a consistent air gap between the heel piece and armature of a relay and for setting a consistent residual gap between the core and armature of a relay, said relay including a yoke piece carried by the heel piece that supports the armature, said yoke piece further including a yoke screw, said armature including a residual screw to adjust the residual gap, said relay adjusting apparatus comprising: relay support means for retaining and clamping said relay to be adjusted; relay compensating means contacting said relay and carried by said support means for establishing a reference point of said relay components with all clearances removed, said reference point being independent of all tolerances and irregularities of said parts; cam actuated means carried by said support means and engaging said relay compensating means for adjusting said air gap to a predetermined design setting relative to said established reference point; and residual adjusting means carried by said support means for adjusting said residual gap.
 2. The relay adjusting apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said relay compensating means for establishing a reference point includes lift finger means for contacting said relay yoke, said lift finger contacting means being carried slidably by said support means, said relay compensating means further including compensating lever means for engaging said lift finger means, said compensating lever means pivotally mounted to said support means at the point of contact with said lift finger means, said lift finger means moving vertically against said yoke as said compensating lever means are rotated about the pivot point.
 3. The relay adjusting apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said cam actuating means includes a cam shaft rotatably mounted in said relay support means and lifting lever means pivotally mounted to said relay support means and engaging said cam shaft for lifting said compensating lever means, said lifting lever means being adapted to lock against said compensating lever means so as to lift said compensating lever means when said cam shaft lifts said lift lever means.
 4. The relay adjusting apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said residual adjusting means includes worm gear and wheel means for engaging said residual screw, said worm means including a worm gear, a work wheel, an adjusting wheel attached to the shaft of said work gear, and a screwdriver blade shaft carried by said worm wheel being effective to adjust said residual screw, said worm gear and wheel means being calibrated such that one turn of said adjusting wheel adjusts the residual gap of said relay by a predetermined convenient increment of distance.
 5. The method of adjusting a relay having an air gap between a heel piece and armature and having a residual gap between the core and the armature, said relay also including a yoke piece carried by the heel piece and supporting the armature, said yoke piece including a yoke screw, said armature including a residual screw to adjust the residual gap, the adjustment method comprising the steps of: inserting said relay into a supporting struCture which retains said relay; applying forces to the loosened yoke and armature with the residual gap removed so as to eliminate all tolerances and component variations and also establish a reference point; setting the air gap by applying a force to said relay yoke, said applied force being effective to move the armature away from the heel piece a predetermined distance relative to said reference point whereupon the yoke screw is tightened to retain said air gap setting; and setting the residual air gap by establishing a zero residual gap and introducing the desired residual air gap setting by operation of calibrated adjusting means. 